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Thousands of commuters from Nairobi’s Eastlands were stranded today as matatus went on strike.

There were conflicting reports concerning the cause of the latest matatu strike. Police say that matatu operators fear for the safety of their vehicles following renewed threats from the Mungiki to extort money from their business. On the other hand, some matatu operators say the strike is to protest the relocation of their vehicles from the city centre to the new Muthurwa terminus. Matatu operators wonder why they are being blocked from accessing the city centre while City Hoppa, KBS and Double M buses are moving freely.

By mid-morning, rumours started spreading that buses from the three companies may be attacked. Consequently, there was a heavy presence of police and paramilitary GSU officers on major streets of Nairobi to counter any attack.

Commuters were forced to walk long distances to access public transport. The alternative is to board Double M buses from Muthurwa, and thereby incur additional costs at a time of high inflation fuelled by rising oil and food prices.

The government has been heavily criticized for its decision to bar public transport vehicles from Eastlands from getting into town.